Fireworks to fund firefighter training

Proposal has been a long time coming.

Proposal has been a long time coming.

June 19, 2006|NIKI KELLY The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

INDIANAPOLIS -- Thanks to legislation passed this year, fireworks fans are now paying a special 5 percent tax on the explosives that will provide cash to create the first state-supported system for firefighter training in Indiana history. Irony aside, the proposal to standardize training now being done independently at hundreds of fire departments in the state is a long time coming. "The education and technical skills for fire service have increased substantially over the years and we haven't kept up. I think it's the right thing to do to bring consistency," said Joseph Wainscott, director of training for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. "These folks have been doing a great job for years and years, so whatever we can give them is a benefit." He said Indiana is one of just a few states not supporting fire training financially. Indiana is now following the Kentucky model, designing a more regional approach where dollars come from the state, but training decisions are still made on the local level. "What's going to change is the funding, not necessarily the delivery," said Wes Marckel, training captain for the Decatur Fire Department. The new system is still being developed, but here's how it breaks down:

Each of the state's 10 homeland security districts will create a district fire training council.

The councils will focus for the first few years on the mandatory, basic and firefighter I/II levels of training to ensure the entire state has a solid foundation. More advanced training might be offered in the future.

The training councils must first set up a formal training committee deciding what departments, counties, towns or cities should be represented. Then the group will conduct a needs assessment, set priorities and come up with a budget. It is unclear now how much money will be available for each district. Legislators set aside $1 million the first year from the new tax on fireworks, but in the future the amount will be set as part of the regular biennial budget process.